AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra 2.1

Recording your PS5 or Xbox Series X shouldn’t mean giving up your high-refresh display. This external card supports HDMI 2.1 passthrough up to 4K144 with HDR and VRR on compatible displays, although monitors using DSC may top out at 4K120. TechPowerUp reported virtually no added passthrough latency during testing, making uninterrupted high-refresh play its strongest selling point. Both TechPowerUp and GamesRadar+ praised the clear, colorful recordings.

Budget some setup time. You’ll want a verified 10Gbps USB connection; a USB-C socket alone doesn’t guarantee that bandwidth. TechPowerUp found that a slower connection restricted available capture modes. Windows Central criticized the software installation and early firmware, while GamesRadar+ encountered occasional choppy clips during consecutive recordings. TechPowerUp reported reliable operation, so trouble isn’t inevitable, but check several back-to-back recordings before trusting it with a tournament session.

On supported Windows PCs, Streaming Center offers up to 4K144 MJPEG capture. Those independent reviews mostly assessed earlier 4K60 capture, not that newer mode. This suits console and dual-PC creators who want to preserve high-refresh gameplay and are comfortable configuring capture software. Basic 1080p streamers can skip it. Anyone needing fuss-free surround capture should also be cautious: one OBS forum owner reported audio pops while capturing a Sky Q box and Dolby Digital crashes in RECentral. That’s a source-specific report, not evidence that every gaming setup has broken audio, but it reinforces the case for testing your exact workflow.